Improvement in car-starters



No. 107,330. Patented sept. 1s, 1870.

M. PETERS, PMQTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTDN, D. C.

tnna sans sind (leftline.

-fLetvtersPaten-t N0. 107,330, (lated September 13, 1870.

`. IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-STARTERS,

' The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and partei' the same..

To allwhomttmay concern: Y f

Be it known that I, JOHN BEVAN, of Hudson, in the county of Columbiav and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement lin Gar- Starters, of which the following is a full, clear, vand exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, iu whichi v Figure l represents a longitudinal sectional" elevation of 'a car bottom, together with the vruimingwheels of the car and its draft connections, in illustration of my improvement;

Figure 2, au inverted plan of the same; and

Figure 3, a transverse section, taken asindicatcd by the line :t x in fig. 2, of a portion of vthc'starting mechanism. y y

Similar letters of reference indicate corrcsporuling parts. A My improvementv has reference to ."apparatus attached to horse-cars or vehicles, and-aiTanged-iu con,- nection with the draft-bar o1pole,wh ereby,iri starting the car, the pull is eased or draftot' the load gradually thrown upon the horses, which facilitates the starting over, or ascompared with a sudden or dead pull ofthe full load. Y arious combinations and arrangements of springs have been used for this purpose, but these are veryvapt to break from the sudden shocks thrown upon them, or they soon grow weak and useless,- and such, so far at least as making them the-leading feature'o'r main active element of the starter, I.disclaim. v c I My invention relates to that system or combination of mechanism, in connectiouu-'ith a .longitudi-V nally-movable draft-bar or pole, by which the dratt is eased ou starting, by gearing operating to'make drivers of the running-wheels ot' the vehicle, till the car is fairly started, and

It consists in various details, or combinations of details, as herein set forth, whereby such principle of action is most effectually developed, aud'a carstarter, operating'as described, rendered perfectl or highly practicable. y v

Referring to the accompanying drawing A represents the bottom or -ioor of 'a' horse-car; and

B B B B the fore and aft running-wheels of the car.

which the draftpole is connected.

This bar G is hung so as to be capable of a sliding Gis the draft-bar or attachment to the car, with This stop may be variously constructed, but it is here shown as consisting of a right-angled bent arm orlevcr, D, pivoted,l as at 1), and arranged so that, when" its horizontal arm is lifted bya spring, c, its vertical `arm or leg is made to entera notch, d, in the bar (landA so holdthe latter 1ocked'inits drawn-iu position, butso that, when downward;pressureis applied by the foot of the driver .tof al vertically sliding rod, e, acting outhe horizontal leg of Athe stop through a spring, f, the vertical leg of. said stopor lever D is thrown out of lock with `the bai-.0, whicli-.is then at liberty to he drawn outward-bygthe draft-or-pnllot' the horses on it, and, by thesliding ofa horizontal frame or yoke,1jl, with which said' bar connects by a leg, g7` power isgradually communicate-dto v set the car in motion, substantially as' follows:

lhe horizont-l frame or yoke E, .whichis made capable ot' longitudinally sliding-on or along-fa' fixed frame, F, carried by the axles G Gfof the runningwheels, orothcrwise, has arranged on ethers'ide ot' it a rack, 71., which racks gear with pinion'sH H, fast to a cross-shaft, I, running in hangers -connect-ed with the fixed frame F. r Y

Ou this crossfshaft- I is another pinion, J, which gears with a spur-wheel, K,`arranged to' tit loose on the axle Gr of the front running-wheels,and'made capable of a locked or driving connection with said axle, by means of a longitudinallysliding clutch, L, 'A 'fittedby a 'feather to such axle, so that whenthe ,spur-wheel K is thusy geared with the axle .bythe clutch, the. yoke E, ou the draft-bar G, beingl drawn out by the pull ofthe horses at starting, is -made to communicate the traction iu a gradual or easy Vmanner, throughgthe aid of the gearing, to the'runningwheels B B, fast ou the axle G, to convert them into drivers.- lhis action takes place till the bar G has been drawn outward to its full extent, 'and is arrested .by means of a projection, t, acting' as a stop on its 'striking the front bar-guide a.

vThe clutch L shouldthen, or immediately before,

l be slid back, so as to unlock the spur-wheel K from or on the shaft G, which leaves thefwheels B B free to actas mere runners under direct traction, as applied to the car through the extended and arrested draft-bar G.

-To insure the timely action of the clutch L, relatively to theextreme (that is, backward and forward) positions of the bar C, iuorder that the wheels B 15 may be made either drivers or mere runners, as specified, the said clutch L should be automatically thrown lin andeutet' gear with the wheel K. This is or may be accomplished as follows:

The vertically-sliding rod e, through which the stoplever D is operated, carries at its lower end a wedge, 7.1, which, oi 1- thefoot of the driver-.being applied to depress the rodeaand to keep it down, for the purpose of releasing and holding released the bar O, from lock hy the lever D, as hereinbefore described, serves to bear or press against a lever, lvLpivoted, as at l, and controlling .the clntch L, so that the clutch is thrown and held in Vloch: with the wheel K, to effect thestarting otf the car, as already explained; but as the starting action isbeing complet-ed, and the bar C being lnadeto approach the termination of its outu'ard stroke to establish direct traction .through said har, the release ot' the4 drivers foot from the rod e causes the spring f to throw. the latter and its wedge k up, which allows a spring, m, to operate the lever M, so as to more the clutch L out of gear with the wheel K. l

, lhurthermore,'the projection fi, ouV the-bar C, may beso shaped or set as to forcibly act upon the wedge 7.1, to lift thel-odaasthe bar Cfapproaehes its outwardjextension,whereby the unlocking f .the spur- )rheel K at the proper time is made automatic, and not left to the discretion or attention'of the driver.

A spring, N, may be used to soften or 'ease the action of the gearing on applying the carstarter, and to aid, in connection with the momentum ot' the car, to draw inward the yoke E and bar G, on'or as the horses are stopped or brought to a stand, so that the starting contrivance -or `apparatus will be placed in proper position for a fresh start ot' the car.

The several mechanical devices which have herein been described, to secure the opel ation of Y'the starter in the manner specified, and to antowmieally control the action of its parts, as, for instance, the relative and timely actions of the draft-bar O and clutch L, may, as a,.mattel of course, be variously modified, without departing from the principleV which charwcterizes the invention. v

What is here claimed, and desired to be secured hy Letters Patent, iS-' clutch-lever M, essentially as and for the purpose or purposes herein set forth.

3. The combination, with the sliding draftfbar ofthe sliding yoke E, with its racks h, the pinions H l H and J, the spur-wheel K, and the clutch L, on the shaft G of the running-wheels B B, foroperaton under control of the driver, essentially as described. I JOHN BlliAN.`

W itnesses:

FRED. HAYNES, HENRY PALMER. 

